The Most Beautiful Room in Santa Barbara

Mural Room – Santa Barbara Courthouse

You come into a space like this and it captures your senses. The beauty, the history and the ceremony of this space BEGS us to “look up”… Look up from our digital devices, our distractions and the busyness of our lives.

I’d like to take the few minutes I have to talk about three beautiful things for which I’m grateful:

  • The beauty of Spring
  • The beauty of 2.27%
  • The beauty of Paying it Forward

The beauty of Spring

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  • The smell of star jasmine in my driveway
  • Seeing poppies/wildflowers where I least expect to see them
  • Anticipation of summer vacation
  • Ceremonies
    • 4 days, three ceremonies – college graduation, Mother’s Day and today the Legacy Leaders Reception
    • Ceremonies allow us to pause, put down our phones, mark a moment in time
    • I believe that ceremonies underscore the values that ground our behavior and decisions
    • I’m so happy that to belong a family that LOVES ceremonies
      • A few of our family ceremonies include how we say grace before meals, how we sing a wacky version of the happy birthday song and our family’s annual USA road trip (42 states and counting!)

The beauty of 2.27%

  • I know what you’re thinking… what is 2.27%??? This represents my time as board chair as a percent of the history of the SB Foundation.
  • It underscores the importance of making a difference in the short time you’re in a position to do so… and it gives you humility to realize the smallness of your tenure in the big picture of the Foundation’s history.
  • Two stories about the ways that the SB Foundation is making investments in that 2.27% that are “on mission” and build a deeper legacy in our community
  • Accelerator Fund – a new program of the Foundation that supports transformative projects that significantly improve the quality of life for SB County residents (bold, innovative initiatives). This new program is funded by unrestricted bequests. This is our “think big” initiative and is being welcomed by the community.
  • Katherine Harvey Fellows – A leadership education program that targets young leaders (ages 25-40) who work in the “for profit” sector but have a heart for service. Since 1999, the SB Foundation has been providing the skills, connections and confidence for these young leaders to become Santa Barbara’s future volunteers, board members and donors. We have “graduated” over 100 Fellows over the past 17 years who are serving our community in wonderful ways. In fact, of the twenty current trustees of the SB Foundation – five are graduates of the Katherine Harvey Fellow program.

My final beauty for this evening is…

The beauty of paying it forward…

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There is enormous beauty in being a part of something bigger than our selves. Acknowledging our past, making a difference in the present and trusting in people and organizations to carry good work into the future is at the very core of our community foundation.

imageI’m grateful for Max Fleischman and others who in 1928 took the bold move to establish the Foundation and to begin the legacy that we are so fortunate to steward for our community.  I am grateful for board chairs (several of whom are here tonight) who have preceded my 2.27% of the Foundation’s history.

I’m grateful for 88 years of the Santa Barbara Foundation and inspired donors like you who make the selfless act of paying it forward.

I’m grateful for this ceremony for our legacy leaders – a time to reflect and celebrate our place in the Santa Barbara Foundation’s past, present and future.

  • THANK YOU again to the Santa Barbara Courthouse Legacy Foundation for sharing this special place.
  • THANK YOU all for pausing from your busy lives to “look up” at this amazing space in our community… and the legacy it represents
  • THANK YOU for believing in the spirit of paying it forward
  • THANK YOU for allowing the Santa Barbara Foundation to partner with you to build a legacy for our children and for our future generations!

tonemappedI encourage you to meet and learn from the Courthouse Docents who are here to provide more details on the history and restoration of the Mural Room.

Please continue to enjoy this magnificent venue and all of these magnificent people. Thank you again!

This essay originally published on May 10, 2016.

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